After the treatment, Julia was able to climb stairs with her crutches. She could bend her knees with some help and could sleep more comfortably with her legs bent on her side. Dr. Ahmed recently won a $250,000 grant from the New York City Investment Fund to help move his idea from the laboratory to the marketplace. “If he's successful and he gets the approval to do this by the Federal Drug Administration, then his plan is to set up a series of clinics around the city,” said Maria Gotsch of the New York City Investment Fund. “So he's not only bringing technology, but then he's got a whole network of clinics that can all hire a range of people.” So far, seven patients with varying levels of paralysis have undergone the treatment. Dr. Ahmed said all of them have had some level of success. Though he cautions it may be too soon to tell if those results are typical, he's optimistic. The grant money will fund a clinical trial at Staten Island University Hospital for 96 more patients. Julia hopes to be one of them and that more treatments and improving technology could mean that one day, she won’t need crutches, either.
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